FROM

The number of exotic pets (here defined broadly as all animals kept
as companion animals excluding dogs, cats, and horses) now makes up between
34 per cent to 64 per cent of the pet population.

Many exotic pet owners rely on unsubstantiated information from the
internet to care for their animals rather than the peer-reviewed science
cultivated at herpetological societies.

Gecko

The keeping of exotic animals as pets, especially that of reptiles and
amphibians, has become an increasingly contentious issue in terms of
conservation and animal welfare.

According to new study, Pasmans et al Vet
Rec 2017 Exotics (1), “the number of exotic pets (here defined broadly as
all animals kept as companion animals excluding dogs, cats, and horses) now
makes up between 34 per cent to 64 per cent of the pet population”. In the
publication, the authors discuss the impacts of exotic pet ownership on
ecological biodiversity, animal welfare, and epidemiology. In assessing the
degree of concern related to animal health, the authors define “welfare” in
terms of the five freedoms as outlined by the Farm Animal Welfare Council:

Freedom from hunger and thirst

Freedom from discomfort

Freedom from pain, injury, or disease

Freedom to express normal behavior

Freedom from fear and distress

They then proceed to state that although the reptile and amphibian
nutrition/husbandry industry is a multi-billion dollar business, that most
owners of these species are not adept at meeting their pets’ needs.

“Any
veterinarian with a substantial reptile keeper clientele will probably
confirm that husbandry and nutrition related problems are common.”

Many
exotic pet owners rely on unsubstantiated information from the internet to
care for their animals rather than the peer-reviewed science cultivated at
herpetological societies. Not only are reptiles and amphibians not receiving
the adequate nutritional care that they need to thrive, but they are also
subject to inbreeding issues from the manipulation of certain “morphological
variants” in reproduction along with unenriched confinement in captivity.

The process of obtaining exotic reptiles and amphibians for pet ownership
adds another layer of concern to this issue as the commercial chain is often
nebulously unregulated.

Wild reptiles and amphibians “often are transported
in bulk and may endure crowding and stress before and during transit;
conditions which are also conducive to the transmission of infectious
diseases and trauma.”

To add fuel to the fire, many of the species captured
from the wild, already face some form of extinction threat. This is then
masked by fraudulent labels of “captive-bred or farm-bred” to skirt
repercussions by regulating authorities such as the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Imported species can also lead to greater issues related to invasive species
management and pathogen contamination.

In proposing actionable steps to help alleviate issues pertaining to exotic
reptiles and amphibians, the authors promote the trade in captive-bred
animals as a means of “closing legal loopholes that allow wild animals to be
passed off as captive-bred or that do not take the species’ legal status in
the country of origin into account.”

Like the supposed claim that trophy
hunting supports conservation, Friends of Animals discounts this argument as
a means to close the gap as many times the black market is still operating.
Just because a person can purchase a synthetic diamond that looks like a
real diamond, does not mean that people are going to purchase it in lieu of
the real thing. “Amphibians and reptiles have pronounced abilities to learn,
show (socially) complex and (for reptiles) even playing behavior and the
potential of emotional experience.”

How can we promote these amazing
animals’ capabilities without diminishing their quality of life in the wild?

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